Month: March 2023

GLOBAL
American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE). Educator Preparation Program (EPP) Recruitment & Support for International Students [Open to all AACTE Members via Zoom, 2pm ET, Apr. 27]

Association f0r Teacher Education in Europe (ATEE). Meet the organizing committee of the ATEE Annual Conference 2023 [27-30 August, Budapest]

Teachers College. TC’s Gita Steiner-Khamsi Will Serve as First UNESCO Chair in Comparative Education Policy   “In most countries, graduate schools of education exclusively focus on teacher education and on the preparation of school administrators… I’m eager to move graduate schools in the direction of offering a comprehensive program related to education”.

UNITED STATES
AACTE.
1) In the States: Florida Slated to Sign into Law Largest School Voucher Program in the Country  Additional provisions in the legislation laxed regulations in school districts and making it even easier for teacher candidates in the state of Florida to secure a 5 year temporary certifications.
2) Urge Your Members of Congress to Support Legislation to Boost Teacher Salaries   To help remedy this, Rep. Federica Wilson (FL-24) and Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) recently introduced legislation (H.R.882/S.766) to address this challenge and attract more individuals to the profession. Among other things, the legislation would increase federal investments in public schools and in supporting the teaching profession…

Chalkbeat.
1) I teach future teachers. They don’t need the edTPA. I’ve watched the assessment exhaust and exclude student teachers.  The edTPA doesn’t assess anything a good teacher education program doesn’t, and there are systems in place to assess the teacher education programs themselves. What the edTPA does do is distract from the work of teaching and increase stress, debt, and inequality, making it harder for lower-income student teachers to be licensed and disincentivizing their work in lower-income schools. 
2) My students and I talk about gun violence. This week, I was out of words.  Back-to-back shootings, one a block from my Illinois house and another at a Tennessee elementary school, have me wondering how to support future teachers.

EdWeek.
1) How to Make the Science of Reading Work for Teachers: One state took a different path with good initial results   Many are wrestling with new literacy legislation that responds to stagnant national reading scores and teachers’ reports that they did not adequately learn to teach children to read in their teacher-preparation programs.
2) It Could Get a Whole Lot Easier to Teach in a Different State: Teachers who move states now face new license hurdles   A new effort, funded by the U.S. Department of Defense, is seeking to cut some of the red tape. The Interstate Teacher Mobility Compact would create full reciprocity among participating states—meaning that as long as a teacher has a bachelor’s degree, completed a state-approved program for teacher licensure, and has a full teaching license, they can receive an equivalent license from another state.
3) Laws That Limit Teaching About Race and Gender Imperil Music Instruction   The laws, some of which are murky, can have a chilling effect on teachers, said Karen Salvador, an associate professor and chair of music education at Michigan State University and the author of the report.
4) Principals Head to Congress to Make a Case for More Support   * Loan Forgiveness Act for Educators, which would include early-childhood educators and directors among those who qualify for loan forgiveness… * Preparing and Retaining Education Professionals Act, which would expand principal and teacher-residency programs…
5) Why Some Teachers’ Unions Oppose ‘Science of Reading’ Legislation   Many of these bills propose a wholesale restructuring of how reading is taught, mandating new training for teachers, prescribing lists of curriculum materials, and banning teaching methods… Indiana lawmakers are mulling over several pieces of legislation that would change how students are taught to read, and how teachers are trained. For example, House Bill 1590, which has passed the House, focuses on teacher preparation and licensure..

Ford County Chronicle. Illinois State Senator Tom Bennett: Bennett Advances Legislation to Remove Roadblock for Aspiring Teachers    Senate Bill 1488, filed by Bennett, would waive the edTPA requirement through August 31, 2025. The legislation would also create the Teacher Performance Assessment Task Force, which would be tasked with developing a new evaluation system for teaching students. The task force would be required to present its findings no later than August 1, 2024.The legislation passed the Senate Education Committee on March 22nd.

Hechinger Report. The culture wars are driving teachers from the classroom. Two campaigns are trying to help    A new legal defense fund and a One Million Teachers of Color campaign seek to support and recruit teachers, especially those from underrepresented backgrounds

Hiram College. Hiram College Unveils First Graduate Certificate Program In Trauma Informed Education   “Hiram College is excited to offer a program that supports the challenging work of teachers and education-related professionals as they interact with children and adolescents dealing with trauma,” said Roxanne Sorrick, Ed.D., professor of education… Courses are offered online in an asynchronous and 8-week format…

Illinois General Assembly. Bill Status of SB1488  Synopsis: In provisions concerning educator testing, removes the provision that requires the teacher performance assessment to be approved by the State Board of Education, in consultation with the State Educator Preparation and Licensure Board. Provides instead that each teacher preparation program in this State may use any evidence-based assessment of teacher effectiveness that aligns to current State teaching standards. Effective July 1, 2023.

InsideHigherEd.
1) Draft FAFSA Released   The draft is the first glimpse of what the new version of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid will look like when it launches later this year.
2) U.S., Other Countries Issue Statement Supporting Academic Freedom   “Regrettably, attacks on academic freedom are on the rise,” the statement says. “These include: repression, intimidation and harassment of researchers and teachers in connection with their research and public statements; dissolution of research institutions and the establishment of restrictive legal or financial frameworks.”

The Hill. ‘Abbott Elementary’ goes all-in against charter schools  “They don’t even require all their teachers be certified,” one Abbott educator laments of their rival in an episode that aired earlier this month.

Time. Why Abbott Elementary’s Charter Schools Arc Hit Home for Teachers   The episode, he says, is accurate in the way it represents “the lack of certification or expertise that those students will be getting in a lot of these networks, and the ways that charter schools that are these big networks will funnel resources into marketing to create this perception that they’re better, they’re newer, they’re shinier. 

Univ. of Wisconsin-Madison. UW–Madison’s innovative Teacher Pledge, aimed at supporting future educators and offering solutions to teacher shortage, extended   … pays the equivalent of in-state tuition and fees, testing, and licensing costs for students enrolled in one of the School’s teacher preparation programs… $5 million gift from Susan and James Patterson is allowing the School to extend the Teacher Pledge program and make it available through the 2026-27 academic year.

NEW YORK STATE
NYS Education Department. Office of Higher Education March Educator Preparation Newsletter
1) Board Of Regents March Items *School Counselor *School Building Leader.
2) Literacy (All Grades) And Students with Disabilties (All Grades) Program Registration Applications
3) School Counselor Content Specialty Test Requirement
4) Computer Science Certificate Application Available
5) Continuing Teacher and Leader Education (CTLE) and Registration Requirement Presentations
6) Internship Certificate Requirements

StateJobsNY. NYSED Senior Deputy Commissioner for Education Policy.  The incumbent will play a key role in … charter school management, teacher and school leader preparation requirements and certification, special education, state assessments, the My Brother’s Keeper initiative, BOCES support and operations, in-service professional development, institutional accreditation, Smart School Bond Act, Early Childhood Education…

NEW YORK CITY
Bank Street College. Recruitment Workshop: A conversation with teacher preparation programs implementing creative recruitment strategies in their contexts. [Online May 8 2-3:30pm EDT]

Chalkbeat. NYC to mandate reading curriculum for elementary schools and high school algebra, sources say   New York City education officials plan to take a stronger hand in what curriculums educators can use in their classrooms, a move that could represent a major shift in how the nation’s largest school system approaches teaching and learning…also launching a standardized algebra program in many high schools. The plans have not been announced publicly…

Teachers College.
1) Reimagine Resilience Workshop  Educators play a vital role in preventing hate and violence by youth. How can classroom practices cultivate deeper relationships and make students feel supported while creating a sense of belonging to their school? [FREE: Earn 6 CTLEs or 0.6 CEUs, Apr 11, 15 & 20 4-7pm]
2) TCTakeAction Teacher Salary Increase Legislation: The American Teacher Act   -Fund an awareness campaign: about the importance of teachers and the value of the teaching profession; to encourage secondary school and college students to consider teaching as a professional career; and to diversify the pool of individuals who enter the teaching profession.

 

 

GLOBAL
National Center for the Study of Privatization in Education (NCSPE). Panel Discussion of Chinese Edition of “Education & the Commercial Mindset”   While policymakers in the United States and Sweden turned to the market, their counterparts in Finland persisted with government action in the form of investment in better teacher preparation and pay as well as curricular enrichment.

The Conversation [AUS]. A new review into how teachers are educated should acknowledge they learn throughout their careers (not just at the start)   Given there is a worldwide shortage of teachers, now is not the time to suggest a punitive response to matters of quality in initial teacher education, or to provide a multi-tier funding structure. Rather, we need more understanding of the funding and resources required to support preservice teachers to be the best they can be before they enter the classroom.

The Guardian. Student teachers should spend more time on practical skills, less time on philosophy of education, panel recommends   An expert panel has outlined plans to radically reform degrees to improve teaching courses and address workforce shortages in Australia

Washington Post. In Afghanistan, women and girls are being erased   …the secret schools are opening again, with girls coming to learn from women who may never have been teachers before, but who now quite literally risk their lives to beat the darkness back… This is what we left home to protect. A girl with the right to read, and to learn, and to have the freedom to grow into an educated woman who will teach other girls.

UNITED STATES
AACTE. Can We Have It All: Speed and Scale of Alternative Programs with the Quality of University-based Teacher Preparation?  The Understanding the Landscape of Alternative Preparation session at ACTE 2023 brought together several leaders in the space of university-based alternative programs… The panelists spoke of dismantling antiquated systems in their teacher preparation programs and creating systems that more closely align to the values and beliefs of their institutions. 

AAQEP. March Update.

Chalkbeat. Tutoring isn’t reaching most students. Here’s how to vastly expand it.  One natural talent pool is the country’s estimated 600,000 aspiring teachers. Before they begin student teaching, educators-in-training often spend extensive time observing K-12 classrooms. But some teacher training programs have started using that time for tutoring, which lets aspiring teachers gain experience while assisting students.

CNN. More Black men are needed in the classroom, diversity advocates say   Sharif El-Mekki, founder and chief executive officer of the Center for Black Educator Development, says in order to create a pipeline of Black male teachers, recruitment and clinical experience must start at an earlier age… also says many Black male students are not being encouraged by their school leaders to pursue teaching. So when education groups try to recruit them after college, many aren’t interested in the field.

EdSurge. One Idea to Keep Teachers From Quitting — End the Teacher Time Crunch   After somewhat predictable sections about low teacher pay and the need for better teacher-training pathways, the report includes a section on a topic so mundane it’s almost startling: “Demonstrate Respect and Value for Teacher Time.”… Even if schools have high-quality curricula that can take some lesson-planning off teachers’ shoulders, they can’t use it if they don’t have time or aren’t trained on how to use it.

EdWeek.
1) How to Make the Science of Reading Work for Teachers   States are making important moves to improve the way reading is taught in their schools, but the choices leaders face aren’t easy. Many are wrestling with new literacy legislation that responds to stagnant national reading scores and teachers’ reports that they did not adequately learn to teach children to read in their teacher-preparation programs.
2) Stop Trying to Recruit Black Teachers Until You Can Retain the Ones You Have: The urgent need to improve Black teacher retention [by TC Prof B. L. Love]   For school and district leaders ready to get serious about retaining Black teachers, one good place to start is with the recommendations by the Center for Black Educator Development and Teach Plus for supporting Black teachers. These recommendations include assigning mentors, convening affinity groups to facilitate their personal growth and identity development, and implementing culturally responsive curricula.
3) Teacher Apprenticeships Are Booming in Wake of Shortages. Here’s What You Need to Know   An apprenticeship, or residency, program allows prospective teachers to undergo training through a teacher preparation program while they work in schools and earn a paycheck. Registering such a program with the U.S. Department of Labor opens up federal funding to pay for tuition assistance, wages, and other supportive services…
4) The English Learner Population Is Growing. Is Teacher Training Keeping Pace?   States—which have greater control over enacting English learner policies—could require training in best practices for English learners as part of teacher recertification… Preservice training for all teachers should also incorporate best practices for English learners…
5) The Origins of Racial Inequality in Education: Columbia University report examines the origins of racial inequality in the United States   … researchers such as Eric Duncan, director for P-12 policy at The Education Trust, praise this report for offering teachers context they lack from their own experience as students. “You can’t expect that our teaching population who have gone through schooling in America would understand this context, because it’s not taught in traditional settings,” Duncan said.

Hechinger Report.
1) Inside a growing federal effort to prepare students for cybersecurity careers CTE CyberNet, launched by the Department of Education, trains teachers how to start cybersecurity programs at their schools    “We need to educate the teachers on how to educate the students … on how to secure their devices, their information”…  ““As we build awareness, we can also then fuel the pipeline of talent, fuel the pipeline of teachers who are going to bring that talent to work readiness,”…
2) Toddlers need social emotional learning, teachers say: Though controversial in older grades, cultivating emotional intelligence has become more urgent with the youngest kids   …research shows that providing strong social-emotional training to teachers in early learning programs can help lessen chronic and frequent preschool suspensions — if those supports are done right.

NEA News. ‘It’s Going to Start in the Classroom’: Aspiring Educators on Protecting Democracy   During this uncivil period in U.S. history, NEA Aspiring Educators are partnering with their unions to deliver change and explore how to teach students about these tumultuous times.

Oklahoma News4. Department of Education seeks to revoke teaching license of former Norman teacher no longer working in Oklahoma  Summer Boismier voluntarily resigned her position as a Norman High School English teacher on August 24, 2022, after a parent filed a complaint with the district for violating the law by sharing a QR code to the Brooklyn Public Library’s Books Unbanned program that gives nationwide access to books that have been banned in school districts… Boismier has since moved to New York to work with the Brooklyn Public Library.

Texas A&M University. Dean’s Distinguished Lecture “The ‘Problem’ of Teacher Education: Tensions and Trends” Speaker: Dr. Marilyn Cochran-Smith  [Wednesday, March 29, 10:45 am – 12:00 pm. in-person at the Texas A&M Zone Club, and virtually via livestream]

NEW YORK STATE
NYSED. Statement From Chancellor Lester W. Young, Jr. and Commissioner Betty A. Rosa on Board of Regents Appointments   Congratulations to Regents Judith Chin and Aramina Vega Ferrer on their reelection to the Board of Regents, and we are pleased to welcome Adrian Hale of Rochester, who will represent the 7th Judicial District. Each of these individuals’ unique set of knowledge, skills, and experience is vital to the Board’s deliberations and policymaking.

NEW YORK CITY
Chalkbeat.
1) 64% of NYC’s bilingual special education students didn’t get all of their services last year   At the end of last school year, just 36% of children who were assigned bilingual special education services received the correct amount of instruction from a certified bilingual teacher and in a classroom with the proper ratio of students and staff… For years, state officials have criticized the city for failing to provide bilingual special education services, placing the education department on a corrective action plan in part due to ongoing shortages of certified bilingual educators and service providers. 
2) David Banks wants to bolster career education in NYC schools. Here’s how.   State-approved CTE schools are widely considered the gold standard. Those programs involve strict requirements, including industry-specific teacher certifications, periodic state reviews of school curriculums, paid work experiences, and offer the chance for a special diploma designation. 

Teachers College. Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Take Center Stage at Annual STEAMnasium: Innovative learning opportunities convened students from local K-12 schools, TC students & more   Elementary STEAM Exploration– Developed by elementary preservice teachers, Station 6 focused on the historical use of natural materials in indigenous communities. Students enjoyed experimental crafts and exercises that included  making sundials to tell time, building bird nests from raw materials, and even competing in an engineering design challenge!

GLOBAL
Education International. Are new technologies feminist?   A feminist approach to teaching… is the repeated questioning of what produces inequalities in the classroom. It refers to the micro context-specific strategies developed to deconstruct inequalities, in order to build real emancipation for all.

Hindustan Times. Over 41,000 UPTET certificates gathering dust at DIET in U.P.’s Prayagraj   Based on the new guidelines of the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE), all the TET certificates in U.P. were made valid for life in June 2021 instead of five years as earlier. Meanwhile, certificates of 6,60,592 candidates of UPTET-2021 held on January 23, 2022 are presently stuck due to a court case. 

Manila Bulletin. Greater Good Legacy: Attainable education for Filipinos.  In 1998, Ayala Foundation established the Center of Excellence in Public Elementary Education (CENTEX)… holds teacher training initiatives that promote student development and community engagement. Present in 19 locations, CENTEX, through its Training Institute, has trained and mentored 10,644 public school teachers since 2011.

UNITED STATES
Chalkbeat. I was once a struggling math student. Now I teach the subject that terrified me: Who better to demystify this often-feared subject than someone who knows what math anxiety feels like?   So you might be surprised to hear that I am now an elementary school math specialist who, with the help of encouraging college professors, learned to love math and went on to earn a graduate degree in math education. 

Chronicle of Higher Education. Campus Child Care Has Become Less Available. A New Partnership Aims to Change That.   Child-care centers have struggled to hire enough staff since the pandemic. Carrie Warick-Smith, the association’s vice president of public policy, said moving Head Start programs onto college campuses could help alleviate that problem — because students pursuing a degree in the early-childhood field at the colleges would be able to work at these campus centers.

Deans for Impact. Mobilizing Aspiring Teachers as Tutors: Policy Solutions to Accelerate Student Learning and Strengthen Teacher Pipelines   We can mobilize our nation’s 600,000 aspiring teachers as high-impact tutors, especially in our highest-need schools. To explore this solution, we launched the Aspiring Teachers as Tutors Network (ATTN) – a national collaborative of tutoring initiatives that aims to increase the number of aspiring teachers serving as high-impact tutors… 

Education Week.
1) Braille and Language Development: What Teachers Should Know   The overwhelming majority of vision-impaired children attend regular public schools, rather than specialty schools for the blind, and few have teachers who are trained to understand differences between tactile and visual language… only 26 teacher-education programs in North America include training in braille and its connection to print and oral literacy.
2) Clearing the Hurdles to Effective School Tutoring Programs   Pre-pandemic research found that tutoring programs are most effective when students are paired one-on-one with a trained tutor for frequent, well coordinated sessions that align with academic needs…  matching highly qualified teachers with trained paraprofessionals who help reduce the number of students per adult. 
3) It Will Take More Than $60K Salaries to Solve the Teacher Shortage: The American Teacher Act is a good place to start, but it’s only a start   While over the last few years this teacher shortage has caught the eyes of the public, those of us in teacher education have been ringing the alarm bell for more than a decade. Like many in the teaching profession, we are excited to see this crisis addressed at the national level. This attention to the profession is long overdue, and we feel this is a great first step.
4) Virtual Career Fair for Teachers and K-12 Staff Meet 85+ Employers in a Single Day [March 30, 2:00 to 6:00 PM EDT]

Farmington Daily Times. District officials say early returns from Innovation Zones program in Aztec are positive   The Innovation Zones program also includes the establishment of 11 “career tech pathways” that students are funneled into, including animal science, natural resources, agriculture mechanics and machinery, teacher education, health care, welding, construction trades, information technology, computer science…

Fox News. North Carolina education pushes pilot program to boost teacher retention: NC pilot program would pay teachers based on performance rather than years of experience   The North Carolina State Board of Education wants legislators to allow for a multiyear pilot teacher licensure program that would pay instructors based on performance rather than years of experience… Under the proposed licensure plan, teachers could move to more advanced licenses — and commensurate pay increases — by proving their effectiveness through performance reviews that could be based on student test scores. 

Hechinger Reports.
1) How one university is creatively tackling the rural teacher shortage: Rather than add novices, Wyoming works to find new ways to keep experienced teachers on the job   Thomas’s college of education offers the state’s only teacher preparation program… The university partnered with 2Revolutions, an education consulting company that has worked with other states to redesign teacher education…
2) Trial finds cheaper, quicker way to tutor young kids in reading   “high dosage” tutoring… programs are difficult for schools to launch and operate. They involve hiring and training tutors and coming up with tailored lesson plans for each child… computer guidance takes the usual guesswork and judgment calls out of reading instruction and that has enabled well-trained laypeople to serve as tutors as well as experienced, certified teachers.  

InsideHigherEd. A New Era of Union Activism in Higher Ed   The survey conducted by the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association revealed instead that higher education leaders view economic and workforce development, K-12 teacher preparation, equity issues, state funding and affordability, enrollment declines, and the public perception and value proposition of higher education as being among their top priorities.

KETV. Nebraska Legislature hears testimony on relaxing testing requirements for teachers   Proponents of a legislative bill believe hands-on, student-teacher experiences are a better indicator of success than a basic skills test.

Learning Policy Institute. State Preschool in a Mixed Delivery System: Lessons From Five States  Across LEA and non-LEA settings, all five case study states require equivalent qualifications for assistant teachers and require a bachelor’s degree with early childhood education (ECE) specialization for all lead teachers.

Los Alamos Daily Post. Op Ed: Revamp New Mexico’s Colleges of Education   Approximately 80% of teachers who complete residency programs remain in the profession after five years…New Mexico’s Legislative Education Study Committee identified residencies as one of the best returns on investment in the education system.

Pearson Education. Candidate Support Webinars: Online Learning for Candidate Support   The series includes an edTPA Overview and additional task webinars that provide a close examination of what candidates are asked to think about, do, and write when preparing for and completing their edTPA.

Tampa Bay Times. As US education secretary, I want us to enrich public schools, not ban books and topics [by U.S. Sec. of Education M. Cardona]   We know that our students benefit from being taught by teachers of all backgrounds. That is why the department recently made a historic announcement of the first-ever funding for the Augustus F. Hawkins Centers of Excellence Program, which will devote millions to strengthening the pipeline for diverse educators — so that our teachers can better reflect the students they serve.

The Conversation. Every teacher grades differently, which isn’t fair  Grading consistency and effectiveness could be improved if universities’ teacher-training programs included specific training on grading practices in their educator preparation programs…

WUNC. ‘Ms. Art’ wants to keep teaching, but one exam stands in her way   In North Carolina, about 27% of first-time attempts on a teacher licensing exam result in a failure, combining all subjects and types of tests. By comparison, law students are more likely to pass the North Carolina bar exam on the first try.

NEW YORK STATE
City and State New York. The 2023 Higher Education Power 100 New York’s most influential college and university leaders. #26. William Murphy Deputy Commissioner for Higher Education, State Education Department… Murphy presides over an office within the state Education Department that does everything from approving all new curriculum programs at colleges and universities to teacher certification, discipline and professional development for K-12 school teachers. 

NYSED Board of Regents. March 13 meeting
Adult Career and Continuing Education Services (ACCES). Apprenticeships: Teacher, Teaching Assistant
Higher Education Committee
* Proposed Amendment Relating to School Counselor Education Program General Registration Requirements 
* Consent Item Relating to the Experience Requirement for Professional School Building Leader Certification
* Reappointment to the State Professional Standards and Practices Board for Teaching

NEW YORK CITY
SILive. CSI School Of Education Receives 2 Grants   The College of Staten Island (CSI) in Willowbrook recently received two grants from the City University of New York (CUNY) in support of computational literacies in teacher education… The team was awarded a $25,000 grant by the CUNY Research Foundation for its research, “Interdisciplinary Journeys of Teaching and Learning in Computational Literacies: Collaborative Autoethnography of Seven Teacher Educators.”

Teachers College.
1) TC NEXT & Office of Teacher Education: Education Colloquium  TC NEXT and the Office of Teacher Education are proud to present an evening of panels and workshops for aspiring teachers and school-based professionals. Topics will include a panel of TC alumni, information on applying to jobs in the New York City Department of Education… [Open to TC Community Thurs. March 30 5:00 – 7:50 PM]
2) TC NEXT & Office of Teacher Education: Virtual Education Career Fair    Join this virtual career fair to meet hiring managers from a variety of schools and districts/networks in a series of brief 1:1 video chats. [Open to TC Community Fri. March 31, 4-7PM]

GLOBAL
Guernsey Press. On-island teacher training to be available to more people   The one-year on-island teacher training course will now be open to anyone who is an undergraduate or has a degree, where previous schemes were restricted to graduates already working in education… Education president Andrea Dudley-Owen said the new course, which will be offered from September, would train a new generation of local teachers.

India Today. Importance of action research in teacher education programs   Evidence seems to indicate that if aspiring teachers are not introduced to research projects during their initial teacher training, it gets difficult for them to acquire research skills during their role as classroom teachers.

Irish Examiner. Girls being pushed into taking ‘softer’ subjects in schools   Girls are still being pushed into ‘softer’ subjects as some post-primary schools still find it challenging to provide them with a wide choice of STEM subjects. Schools are also experiencing “real issues” when it comes to recruiting qualified teachers to teach critical STEM subjects, including Junior Cert science, and Leaving Cert physics, chemistry, and computer science.

Irish Times. Narrowing number of teacher training providers will add to staff crisis – Labour    Shadow education minister Stephen Morgan questioned why the Government had removed a quarter of teacher training providers from its accredited list as the country faces a “teacher recruitment and retention crisis”.

UNITED STATES
AACTE. Monika Williams Shealey of Rowan University Becomes AACTE Board Chair   During her one-year term, Shealey will support AACTE and President and CEO Lynn M. Gangone, Ed.D., in implementing the Association’s strategic goals, elevating education and education preparation; prioritizing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI); and advancing the educator profession—during a year in which AACTE will celebrate its 75th anniversary. 

Chalkbeat.
1) Bill to clarify Tennessee school library law would exempt classroom book collections from scrutiny   Teachers who are trained to teach children to read should be trusted to provide high-quality, age-appropriate books in their classrooms, Yarbro said. That’s the way that Alice Irvin sees it, too… “As a highly trained teacher, I find this law insulting,” said Irvin, who has 1,300 titles in her classroom collection.
2) Newark schools would get nearly $1.2 billion in state aid under Murphy’s 2024 budget plan  The administration also aims to help districts address the staffing shortage crisis seen statewide by committing $10 million in stipends for student teachers, $5 million to waive teacher certification fees, $1 million to develop local partnerships for paraprofessional training, and other initiatives. 

Dallas Morning News. Texas must pay teachers more, train them like doctors, task force finds Teacher residency programs – similar to those for doctors – could bolster training for educators and stem turnover.

Education Week.
1) A Conservative Teacher’s Take on ‘What Is Wrong With Our Schools’   The reading lists in university preparation programs need an overhaul. Progressives like John Dewey and critical pedagogues like Paulo Freire or Henry Giroux dominate education school curricula. They’re the equivalent of homeopathy or chakra enthusiasts on medical school websites. If any educational conservatives like E.D. Hirsch gets mentioned in these programs, it’s usually with derision. Getting more cognitive science or even a single conservative into the hands of prospective teachers would be a major win.
2) Supreme Court Will Decide Fate of Student Loan Relief: What Teachers Need to Know   “Student debt relief will help remediate the crushing impact of COVID-19 on teachers, who must amass substantial debt to enter their profession and who often work at low wages,” the AFT brief said. “The prerequisites to become a teacher, which include both higher education and licensing requirements, leave the average teacher with an outstanding student loan debt balance of $58,500, with 1 in 8 owing more than $105,000.”
3) Teacher Pay Raise Proposals Are Gaining Bipartisan Support. What’s in Them?   Districts need to be strategic in how they allocate pay increases, Goldhaber said. He favors policies that raise starting teacher salaries rather than salary increases across the board. That’s because that kind of policy is more likely to prevent young teachers from leaving in their first three to five years and motivate more college students to enter teaching.
4) The ‘Science of Reading’ Will Be a Big Topic at SXSWedu. Get Prepped With 3 Things to Know: It’s a timely topic after several years of state legislation that’s reshaped how reading is taught across the country. Since 2019, at least 25 states and the District of Columbia have mandated that schools follow evidence-based practices for teaching young children how to read…
5) Virtual Career Fair for Teachers and K-12 Staff Meet 85+ Employers in a Single Day [March 30, 2:00 – 6:00 PM EDT]

Hechinger Report. Taking stock of tutoring: What we know about tutoring research, how many schools are providing tutoring and how it’s going so far   …tutoring produces outsized gains in reading and math when it takes place daily, using paid, well-trained tutors who are following a proven curriculum or lesson plans that are linked to what the student is learning in class… It’s expensive to hire and train tutors and this type of tutoring can cost schools $4,000 or more per student annually.

LPI. Strengthening Pathways Into the Teaching Profession in Texas: Challenges and Opportunities   Research has found that teachers who are not fully prepared when they enter the profession—now a majority of newly hired Texas teachers—are, on average, both less effective and more likely to leave…the districts that have the most difficulty hiring fully prepared teachers are those that serve the most students of color and students from low-income families.

NYTimes. Teaching About a Year of War in Ukraine   A collection of ideas grounded in Times resources to help students reflect on a year of war, consider its causes and effects, and ponder what’s next.

United Press International.  Education Department announces $18M in grants to boost teacher diversity   the Augustus F. Hawkins Centers For Excellence Program…supports comprehensive, high-quality teacher preparation programs at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities, and Minority Serving Institutions, according to the Department of Education.

USA Today. What happens to diversity when many teachers of color are new hires and layoffs come   Thanks to recent efforts to diversify the teaching force, a relatively high percentage of rookie educators are people of color – meaning these “last in, first out” (LIFO) practices could derail some of that work

NEW YORK STATE
NYDailyNews
1) Another way for charter schools to expand   Legislation: Albany should pass the Public Education Racial Equity And Diversity Act — or “READ Act” — … would also expand the number of minority teachers by exempting them from paying state and local income taxes, providing them college loan forgiveness, and permitting charters to offer alternative teacher licensing.
2) Improving teacher diversity in New York State   We can start by eliminating barriers to recruitment and retention for teachers of color. Inadequate preparation when pursuing alternative routes to the profession, lack of ongoing support, racially biased or exclusionary content in teacher licensure exams, and unnecessary hurdles all contribute to an inequitable landscape, according to LPI. It’s imperative that schools and educator preparation programs in colleges and universities work together to reimagine professional preparation possibilities in an inclusive, accessible way that removes unnecessary barriers of time and location.

NYSED.
1) Announcement of Funding Opportunity 2023-28: New York State My Brother’s Keeper Teacher Opportunity Corps (TOC) II   The purpose of TOC II is to increase the participation rate of historically underrepresented and economically disadvantaged individuals in teaching careers… The allocation for 2023-2028 is expected to be $3,000,000 annually. [deadline: March 13, 2023]
2) The Office of Higher Education (OHE) February newsletter
A. BOARD OF REGENTS FEBRUARY ITEMS  *Indigenous Culture and Language Studies Certificate  *Student Teaching
B. NYSTCE MULTI-SUBJECT: TEACHERS OF EARLY CHILDHOOD (BIRTH-GRADE 2) – PART TWO: MATHEMATICS TEST *Revised Framework *Redeveloped Test
3) Written Testimony of Commissioner Dr. Betty A. Rosa New York State Education Department Joint Legislative Higher Education Budget Hearing February 27, 2023    A critical initiative aimed at modernizing the systems and supports for more effective and responsive teacher certification has begun. The 2022-23 enacted budget provided $1.35 million in appropriation authority for the first year of TEACH2 system modernization… Several programs that are also designed to address teacher shortages and help diversify the pipeline include: Teacher Opportunity Corps II (TOC II)… Teacher Diversity Pipeline Pilots… Teachers of Tomorrow…

New York State Register Vol. XLV/Issue 9 March 1, 2023. Student Teaching Requirements for Registered Teacher Preparation Programs and Through the Individual Evaluation Pathway (p. 30ff.)   The new student teaching requirements include a “limited exemption” for experienced teachers who are enrolled in a graduate program leading to certification for one or more certificates. Teachers who qualify for the limited exemption are exempt from the clinical experience clock-hour requirement and the full-semester student teaching requirement. To qualify, teachers must have either: (1) completed a New York State registered teacher preparation program prior to enrollment in the graduate program and hold an Initial and/or Professional teacher certificate, (2) hold National Board certification, or (3) have at least one year of effective teaching experience under a valid New York State or out-of-state teaching certificate. With the limited exemption, candidates complete at least 50 clock hours of student teaching or practica (unless otherwise prescribed in the specific program requirements) that includes a focus on the applicable program specific pedagogical core requirements for the certificate title. The student teaching or practica must occur with actual students in educational settings appropriate to the certificate title sought. [Data, views or arguments may be submitted to: William P. Murphy, Deputy Commissioner, NYS Education Department, Office of Higher Education, 89 Washington Avenue, Room 975 EBA, Albany, NY 12234, (518) 473-3781, email: [email protected] Public comment will be received until: 45 days after publication of this notice]

NEW YORK CITY
Bank Street College.
1) Webinar: Cultivating Powerful Mentorship in Educator Credential Programs [Mar 7, 4:00 PM]
2) Online Pre-Service Co-Teaching Workshop [Wed, Mar 29 1:00 PM EDT]

City and State. New York City schools to create working group on phasing in smaller class sizes: Parents, school leaders and advocates are being asked about their interest in joining the effort in a new survey released today.   New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Banks meanwhile attest that the measure will cost the city hundreds of millions of additional dollars to hire more teachers and add more classrooms to meet requirements…  according to Banks…the education department believes the city will need to hire 7,000 new teachers to follow the law.